Ruins of Fate

by Jamie A. Waters

  “Find her.”

  Skye paused, cocking her head. “Did you hear that?”

  Leo frowned. “Hear what?”

  Skye shook her head and walked toward the exit, trying to listen. “I thought I heard something.”

  Leo followed her. “It might have been more of the building materials collapsing. If this area is all interconnected like a shopping mall, we run the risk of the whole place coming down. We should get out of here.”

  “You must find her. Hurry. She needs you.”

  “There it is again. I don’t think—” Her voice cut off as the dim sound of a scream caught her attention. She grabbed Leo’s arm. “Someone’s out here. They’re trapped.”

  Without waiting for a response, Skye ran out the exit and into a large thoroughfare. Rubble and building debris surrounded her, and she saw what Leo had been talking about. Dozens of store entrances surrounded her, and she listened, trying to determine the direction of the cries. An almost desperate urge to find them filled her, hastening her progress.

  “Dammit, Skye,” Leo said from behind her. “This is too dangerous. If the ground shakes again, this whole place could come down.”

  “Hurry, daughter of the sky. She’s almost out of time. You cannot let her die.”

  “We have to help them,” she insisted, climbing over a collapsed wall. Urgency flowed through her and some other awareness filled her. She didn’t know what she was hearing, but her gut was telling her it was critical to find the people who were trapped. A strange and powerful heat—pure energy—flowed through her, lending its strength to hers as she raced through the abandoned mall.

  “This way,” she managed and continued to run, scrambling over fallen debris. The voices and cries grew louder, but they were still too far away. Her blood pounded in her veins, and each pulse was another scream for her to hurry. Leo cursed under his breath, but she knew he was following her. No matter what, Leo always had her back.

  “Through there,” Leo said, gesturing up a dilapidated staircase. The screams and cries were even closer now.

  “It won’t open!” a man shouted. “We need to stabilize the ground.”

  “Everyone with that ability is dead!” a woman yelled. “Try to use your bond to call for help.”

  Skye skidded into the room, nearly tripping over a fallen structural member. Through a narrow hole, she could see a blond woman bleeding profusely from her head. She couldn’t see the man speaking, and there was no way to know who else was alive.

  “We can help get you out,” Skye called to them, ducking under another beam to try to get closer. It appeared as though most of the room they were in had already collapsed.

  “Thank the gods!” The woman moved closer to the hole in the wall. “The whole building is going to collapse.”

  Leo crouched down, trying to pull the rubble away from the wall. “Start digging it out on your side. Hurry!”

  A creak and a groan sounded, and a man screamed somewhere just beyond the wall. The woman’s blue eyes were wide with panic. “There’s no time. You have to get Kayla to safety.”

  Before Skye could respond, the woman lifted a dark-haired little girl up into her arms. The child’s eyes were wide with fear, and she clung to the woman holding her. Skye stared, shocked at the sight of a child here in the ruins. Their people must have been desperate not only to be scavenging here but to bring a child with them.

  Skye reached through the small opening. “She’s small enough to fit through. Pass her to me. We’ll clear space to get you out too.”

  Through the hole, Skye saw more dust beginning to fall. The entire floor above them was about to collapse. Once it went, it was only a matter of time before the entire building fell too. She’d seen enough ruins over the years to know that once the structural integrity had been compromised, there was no going back.

  The woman whispered something low to the little girl and pushed her toward the hole in the wall. Skye reached through and grabbed the little girl. It was no use; the opening was too small.

  “Leo, help me! I can't get her out.”

  Using his fists and hands, he began breaking apart the wall to widen the hole. The little girl cried out, and Skye yanked her through the opening. Skye stumbled backward, barely managing to catch herself before she fell. Wrapping her arms around the child, she said, “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”

  The girl’s tiny arms clung to her tightly. Skye tried to put her down to help Leo, but the child refused to release her. The woman pressed her hands against the edge of the opening and shouted, “There’s no time! Go! Get out of here! Tell Sear—”

  The woman’s voice turned into a scream as a large beam fell. Skye gasped, turning away to shield the child from the sight.

  Leo grabbed her arm. “Go, Skye! We need to get out of here now.”

  She scrambled back the way they came, hearing more of the building collapsing from behind them. Leo plucked the child out of her arms. “Run! I’m right behind you!”

  Skye nodded and ran, fueled by the knowledge they only had seconds to make it to safety. The pounding of Leo’s footsteps behind her urged her onward. Metal screeched, almost sounding like a scream as the building began falling behind them. A cloud of dust exploded around them, obscuring their vision. Skye coughed and choked, the grit in the air burning her eyes and throat. They needed to get out of there.

  They ran for their lives, building debris falling around them. When one stumbled, the other helped them up. They abandoned all caution in exchange for speed. They were nearly blind from the dust, the falling building materials creating a maze of debris as they tried to retrace their footsteps while the building fell around them.

  Skye skidded back into the first store where she’d found the bracelet and ran to the staircase. Their only hope was that the parking garage was an independent structure. Otherwise, they’d never make it out alive.

  Chapter Six

  Skye ran farther into the garage and dropped to the ground, coughing and choking from the dust burning her lungs. The sound of the buildings collapsing behind them was almost deafening. She blinked furiously, trying to clear the dusty haze from her vision. Leo appeared equally affected, but he’d tried to protect the child by keeping her face buried against his jacket.

  The little girl’s face was scraped and bleeding, and she wheezed from inhaling the fine dust. Skye fumbled to open the pack at her waist. When she finally got it open, she withdrew a hydrating pack. They needed to get out of there, but it would all be for naught if they couldn’t breathe.

  “Bring her here,” Skye managed, her throat scratchy and sore.

  Leo crouched beside her, but the little girl wouldn’t release him. Skye scooted closer, pulling out a cloth and pouring some water onto it. Carefully, she began clearing the worst of the dust from around the girl’s eyes and nose.

  Picking up the hydrating pack, Skye pressed it to the little girl’s lips. “You need to drink, sweetheart. It'll help with the dust. Your name’s Kayla, right?”

  Kayla nodded and wrapped her gloved hands around the hydrating pack, taking a long drink. Relieved, Skye pulled out another one for her and Leo. He shook his head and motioned for her to drink first. She did, the water barely soothing the rawness of her throat. They'd all likely be coughing for a while. Skye splashed some of the water onto the cloth and used it to clear the dust away from her eyes while Leo drank his fill.

  Leo coughed. “We need to get out of here. I don’t want to take a chance this structure was compromised too. The farther we get from here, the better.”

  Skye nodded and climbed to her feet. “We don’t have a helmet for Kayla. She’s small enough that we can hold a bag over her to protect her from the sun, but we’ll need to redistribute our supplies or leave them behind.”

  “We’re too low on supplies in camp to risk leaving them here,” Leo said, still holding Kayla and glancing around the garage. “If this place goes down, we’ll never get them out.”

  Skye crouc
hed down beside their gear, knowing Leo was right. Yanking open the bag, she quickly pulled out everything and shoved the items into Leo’s carrier. When it was empty, she turned toward Kayla. The child was leaning her head against Leo’s chest watching her with eyes that were the most striking shade of green Skye had ever seen.

  Her heart went out to the little girl. In just a few moments, everything had changed. Skye tilted her head, wondering again about the voice she'd heard. Leo hadn't appeared to hear anything, but it had been so vivid. It was more than a voice, more like a presence that had directed her to Kayla. It couldn’t have been her imagination. Something was telling her this child was important somehow.

  Skye gave Kayla a small smile. “My name’s Skye. The man holding you is Leo. We’re going to take care of you until we can find the rest of your camp. Do you know who your camp leader is?”

  Kayla’s eyes grew wide with panic, and she tightened her arms around Leo. When she buried her head against his chest, Skye frowned and exchanged a worried look with him. For whatever reason, Kayla didn’t want to go back to her camp. Unfortunately, they didn’t have time to argue the point.

  “Hey, kid,” Leo started to pull Kayla’s arms away from his neck, “you need to tell us where you came from.”

  “Leo,” Skye shook her head, “let’s just get to safety. We can figure out the rest later.”

  “Daryl’s going to love that,” Leo muttered with a scowl.

  Skye frowned, knowing he was right. They didn’t have much of a choice though. Daryl would just have to deal with it. She wasn’t about to traumatize the little girl even more, given she’d just lost her mother and some of her campmates in a terrible ordeal. If it had been Veridian in Kayla’s place, she’d hope the people rescuing him wouldn’t abandon him either.

  Keeping her tone gentle, Skye said, “Sweetheart, why don’t you let me carry you? Leo needs to drive. We’ll take you back to our camp and get you cleaned up.”

  Kayla peeked at her and nodded. She reached out her arms, and Skye lifted her and held her close. She was smaller than Veridian, but not by much. Leo reached down to collect their bags, and Skye ran her hand over the girl’s dusty hair.

  “See? Everything’s going to be fine. You know, I have a little boy about your age. His name is Veridian. I bet he’s going to love meeting you.”

  Skye was exhausted by the time they made it back to camp. Kayla hadn’t stopped clinging to her the entire time. She hadn’t spoken a word either. Just to make sure she was all right, they’d made several stops so Skye could check on her. The child seemed to be in shock but was otherwise unharmed.

  When they pulled up to their camp, Leo reached over to take Kayla from Skye and put her down. Skye rubbed her gloved hand, worried she’d done even more damage in their haste to escape. Little could be done about it now. It wasn’t hurting, which was a blessing, but she wouldn’t know the extent of the damage until she removed the bandage. They didn’t have much to show for their efforts either—only a bracelet, a few coins, and another mouth to feed.

  She sighed and climbed off the speeder while Leo started collecting their equipment. The solar cells of the speeder would need to be cleaned, and the rest of their gear would need to be carefully checked before they ventured out again. But all of that needed to wait until they handled the situation with their newest camp addition.

  Kayla was busy staring wide-eyed at their camp and vehicles parked out front. Skye cocked her head, wondering how well-off Kayla’s camp was if the sight of theirs was so surprising. Even though Kayla’s protective gear was ripped and torn, the quality was much better than Skye’s. It reminded her of the newer gear she'd received when she worked in Tyler's trading camp.

  It was possible Kayla's parents had also worked in a trading camp at one point. Or they could have been making out like bandits scavenging right under the noses of the Omni traders. That might have been why they were in the chasm. Desperation frequently drove people to do daring things—she and Leo were proof of that.

  Grabbing one of the bags, Skye threw it over her shoulder and took Kayla’s hand to lead her inside. The girl went willingly enough, seeming content to stay right by her side. Skye placed her helmet on a nearby rack and dropped the bag on the floor. She started pulling off her dusty gear and gestured for Kayla to do the same. More than anything, she wanted a shower and to fall into bed, but all that would have to wait.

  Veridian came skidding around the corner, stopping short at the sight of Kayla with them. His eyes widened in confusion, but there was also a trace of excitement. Veridian didn’t often get a chance to associate with other children.

  Skye managed a smile. “Heya, V. Why don’t you come say hi to Kayla? There was an accident in the ruins, and she’s going to be here with us until we manage to locate her camp.”

  “Are you out of your fucking mind?!” Daryl boomed.

  Skye frowned as the dark-haired man stormed over to them. Before she could say anything, he said, “I’m not running a damn halfway house. Take her back to wherever you found her or drop her off at a family camp.”

  Leo’s body tensed. Skye reached over, grabbed Kayla, and moved protectively in front of her. Veridian swallowed, and Skye motioned him over too. He ran to her, and she tucked both children behind her.

  Leo walked toward Daryl. “A building collapsed. The people she was with were killed, but she’s still got people out there. We just have to find them.” He gestured to Kayla and added, “Look at her clothing, Daryl. They’re good quality. She’s well-fed too. She’s not some stray from a family camp. Her camp might be willing to barter for her return.”

  Daryl scowled, glancing toward the children. “And if not? I’m not about to be stuck with another one.”

  “Give me a few days,” Leo said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ll ask around to see if anyone knows where she belongs. She’s even smaller than Veridian. I doubt she’ll eat much.”

  Daryl’s jaw clenched. After a long moment, he finally inclined his head. “Fine. You have two days. I want her gone by then.” He pointed at Skye. “I'm holding you responsible for her.”

  Skye nodded, her heart hammering in her chest. Without another word, Daryl turned and headed back down the hall. Two days was better than she’d hoped for. At least they’d have a small reprieve. She sighed in relief and glanced over at Leo’s worried expression.

  In a quiet voice, Leo said, “He agreed a little too quickly. I don’t have a good feeling about this, Skye.”

  She didn’t either, but she couldn’t discuss it here and now with him. For Daryl to make the announcement that she was responsible for Kayla didn’t bode well. It didn’t matter that she would have volunteered. If Daryl was looking for an excuse to throw her out of his camp, he’d just found it. There was no way he’d allow her to keep both children here.

  Turning around, she studied both of them. Compared to the children in the family camps, it was obvious Veridian and Kayla were well-cared for. Kayla was dusty and dirty from the ruin collapse, but she didn’t have the sunken look to her cheeks that some of the children in the family camps possessed. Her cheeks were tear-streaked, but her eyes were bright. Looking at Veridian and Kayla side by side made it even more apparent they were close to the same age.

  Veridian frowned and whispered, “I’m sorry, Mom. I screwed up. The terminal Alanza had me working on broke down. You told me to stay out of trouble, but…” He lowered his head. “I couldn’t get it to work again. Daryl got really mad. He's going to make us leave now, isn't he?”

  Skye sighed and crouched down to face him. “Look at me, Veridian.”

  He lifted his head, and her heart clenched at the worry in his eyes. She reached out to touch his arm. “Equipment is replaceable, yeah?”

  “Yeah, but—”

  She shook her head. “No. We can fix equipment. We might not know how, but someone does. Or there’s some part that needs to be replaced. The trick is finding out the right combination to get it working again.”<
br />
  Veridian frowned. “Alanza said the circuit board was probably fried. She thinks moisture from the storm might have gotten into it.”

  Skye cocked her head. “Yeah? What do you think?”

  He hesitated. “I don’t think that’s right. None of the other computers had a problem. Wouldn’t they have also broken down?”

  Kayla stared at Veridian in rapt fascination. It was the first spark of something outside of fear that Skye had seen. She bit back a smile at the girl’s interest. “That’s very possible. How would you go about troubleshooting it?”

  Veridian’s expression grew even more serious, and he considered it for a long time. “I’d probably replace each part with pieces from another machine that works. Once I got it working, I’d figure out which part’s broken.”

  “I think that’s a good idea,” she agreed, squeezing his arm gently. “Let me get cleaned up and help Kayla get situated, and then I’ll come help you.”

  “Are you a fire person?”

  Skye paused, surprised by the sound of Kayla’s soft voice. It seemed a strange thing to ask, but she gave the young girl a smile. At least she was speaking. That was progress. “What do you mean, sweetheart? Are you cold?”

  Kayla's expression became fearful, and she shook her head. Skye glanced up at Leo, but he appeared as perplexed as she felt. Turning back to Kayla, Skye asked, “Would you like to help Veridian and me try to fix the computer?”

  Kayla's eyes widened. “Me? You’ll let me help?”

  “Sure. Between the three of us, I bet we can figure out the problem. Besides, your small hands will be much better than mine at taking apart the system. Have you ever taken apart a computer system?”

  Kayla shook her head.

  Skye smiled. As far as distractions went, it would be sufficient for now. “Well, I'm sure you'll be an expert soon enough. Let's get cleaned up first. You can wear some of Veridian's spare clothes, then we can tackle the computer problem.”